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Best of Florida Christmas, Christmas, ChristmasInOrlando.com, Gaylord Palms, ICE! at Gaylord Palms, Orlando News |
25 November, 2006
Last weekend, a crew from HGTV visited ICE! at Gaylord Palms Resort to film a segment for "Over the Top Holiday," a special presentation.
According to the network website, the one-hour special features the most outrageous, quirkiest, over-the-top holiday displays ever. ICE! certainly fits the bill!
Tivo alert! Tune in on the following dates and times:
- December 17 at 9 p.m. ET/PT
(and again a few hours later at 1 a.m.)
- December 21 at 9 p.m. ET/PT
(and again a few hours later at 1 a.m.)
- December 24 at 8 p.m. ET/PT
(and again a few hours later at midnight)
- December 25 at 9 a.m. ET/PT
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Best of Florida Christmas, Christmas, ChristmasInOrlando.com, Gaylord Palms, ICE! at Gaylord Palms, Orlando News |
25 November, 2006
Grab another cup of cocoa!
Find your blanket and cuddle up next to the computer screen. We found (another) cool Orlando Christmas video on youtube!
This one features the opening song from the new Christmas show at Best of Florida Christmas at Gaylord Palms Resort.
The show — called "A Season of Wishes" — features a cast of toys who share their hopes the night before Christmas. It really is a sweet show.
The show is part of the entire Christmas getaway experience at Gaylord Palms Resort, which also features ICE!, an attraction hand-carved from two million pounds of ice. An atrium show has become a "staple" of their holiday programming… and it gets better every year!
This clip was posted by one of the performers, to share with her family and friends:
For more details about Orlando Christmas events, including Theme Park Christmas events, Orlando Shopping, a calendar of events, and Christmas at Disney, visit ChristmasInOrlando.com.
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25 November, 2006
An Orlando Sentinel article predicts a record holiday season for Disney. In addition to the Christmas programming, the park is promising several new shows and attractions, making it a very Nemo Christmas, for sure:
In addition to outlining its annual Christmas season entertainment and offerings, including some expansions, Disney introduced Epcot's new ride, The Seas with Nemo & Friends, and Disney's Animal Kingdom's new show, Finding Nemo — The Musical, to media Tuesday.
"Having them both come online during the holidays . . . I think those will give great reasons for people to come and visit during the holiday season," Duncan Wardle, Disney World vice president for public relations, told a media gathering.
Disney also is slowly bringing another show online, the Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor Comedy Club with occasional performances between now and its official premiere in January.
For those having a Disney Christmas, the new attractions (spanning three of the four theme parks) will certainly be crowd pleasers:
"The Seas with Nemo & Friends," a whimsical and visually stunning attraction for guests of all ages, bows at Walt Disney World Resort in fall 2006, anchoring the newly renamed and re-launched The Seas with Nemo & Friends pavilion in Epcot. Picking up where the motion picture "Finding Nemo" left off, the ride-through attraction in a colorful coral reef setting features technology that magically enables the stars of the motion picture to swim amid the marine life in a 5.7-million-gallon saltwater environment — one of the largest such aquariums in the world.
Guests aboard "clamobiles" first meet Mr. Ray and his class on a field trip and soon learn that Nemo has wandered off. The journey in search of Nemo includes familiar characters such as Dory, Bruce, Marlin, Squirt and Crush. These deep-sea friends inhabit a variety of vibrant vignettes, including the actual aquarium containing more than 65 species of marine life. In the musical finale, Nemo is happily reunited with his father and friends.
The Future World pavilion The Seas with Nemo & Friends is an imaginative mix of fantasy with real sea life and interactive experiences such as the breakthrough "Turtle Talk With Crush."
"Finding Nemo-The Musical," premiering at Disney's Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort in late 2006, brings the undersea world of the film "Finding Nemo" to life in a whole new way: as an all-new Broadway-caliber musical stage show featuring original songs by Tony Award-winning "Avenue Q" co-composer-creator Robert Lopez and a cappella musical "Along the Way" co-creator Kristen Anderson-Lopez.
The show will immerse guests of all ages in the story of Marlin and Nemo, an overprotective clownfish father and his curious son, through a dazzling production that combines puppets, dancers, aerialists and animated backdrops.
The theme park's newly enclosed Theater in the Wild will become a magical undersea environment through innovative lighting, sound, special effects and the theatrical puppetry of Michael Curry, who co-designed the richly detailed character puppets seen in the Broadway version of Disney's "The Lion King." Principal characters such as Marlin, Nemo and Dory will be represented by live performers operating larger-than-life puppets. Peripheral characters will be realized by a diverse array of puppetry styles, including rod, Bunraku and shadow.
Produced by Disney Creative Entertainment, the 30-minute show represents the first time Disney has taken a non-musical animated feature and transformed it into an original musical production. "Finding Nemo-The Musical" will be staged several times daily.
"Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor Comedy Club," opening in mid to late January in Magic Kingdom, is an immersive and interactive attraction in which guests can laugh, joke, match wits and laugh some more with comedian wannabes recruited by Mike Wazowski, the one-eyed hero from Disney•Pixar's "Monsters, Inc." Guests can even text-message jokes on their cell phones for possible use in the show.
Mike, realizing laughter is many times more powerful than screams as a power source, has opened the comedy club to collect laughs that will generate power for the future. The fun reigns at a 400-seat theater in Tomorrowland.
- "Dream Along with Mickey," which premiered Oct. 1 in Magic Kingdom, is a live stage show about a dream-inspired party to which Mickey Mouse and the gang have invited almost everyone. Theme park guests are invited to gather near the Cinderella Castle stage and join in the fun that takes place several times daily. And many favorite Disney character friends join the party as the dreams of "happily ever after" and "adventurous exploits" come alive on stage amid music and dancing.
But there's a party-crasher — Maleficent, the evil fairy from Sleeping Beauty. She drops by with the intention of turning all the dreams into nightmares. Collectively, however, all the party guests prove that believing in your dreams is stronger than Maleficent's sorcery … and the 20-minute show has a dream-fulfilling, happy ending.
For more details about Orlando Christmas events, including Theme Park New Year's Eve events, Orlando Shopping, a calendar of events, and Christmas at Disney, visit ChristmasInOrlando.com.
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15 November, 2006
A few tidbits concering this year's Christmas at Walt Disney World:
Dancing lights - The word "Dancing" has been officially added to The Osbourne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights. According to the Disney website, "guests will be dazzled by millions of lights, dancing in synchronized splendor to a symphony for the senses with twirling carousels, heavenly angels — even Santa and his reindeer — amidst electrifying holiday music!" The addition of motion will surely "electrify" this amazing spectacle of lights. For more information about the attraction's interesting history, visit our page at ChristmasInOrlando.com.
Dancing sponsor - Also interesting to note… the The Osbourne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights now has SYLVANIA as a sponsor. SYLVANIA — the light bulb company – must be looking to make a splash in Orlando, as they are also an official sponsor of ICE! at Gaylord Palms.
Disappearing tree - The Disney fansite Mouse Planet reports that Disney's towering Magic Kingdom Christmas tree has been temporarily constructed in the rose garden. Once again, the tree will be moved to Town Square after filming for the Walt Disney World Very Merry Christmas Parade is complete. The annual television special will be filmed Dec. 1-3 and will air on Christmas Day.
Disappearing bears - And now some sad news. It looks as if the "Country Bear Christmas Special" won't be returning to Magic Kingdom this season. To confirm the rumors, we emailed Disney this weekend. Their response was clear: "From time to time, we make adjustments to our offerings based on Guest demand and operational considerations. As a result, the Country Bears Holiday Show will not be offered this holiday season. The Country Bear Jamboree will continue to be in place to delight Guests year round."
Disappearing narrator - Disney's offical website no longer lists Broadway star Chita Rivera as the celebrity narrator for Dec. 3-5. Surely a new celebrity will be found for the popular "Candlelight Processional" show at Epcot, considering the 5 p.m. show on Dec. 3 is "Community Relations Night," a Disney event for local VIPs and elected officials.
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Christmas, Disney news, General Stuff, Orlando News, Universal Studios |
14 November, 2006
The Orlando Sentinel reported that Cypress Gardens will admit for free the holders of a season pass to any other theme park in the United States through Dec. 24.
That's good news for season passholders at Walt Disney World, SeaWorld, Busch Gardens and Universal Studios! Hmm. Too bad that all Splendid China season passes have already expired!
This is perfect timing for those who want to enjoy the park's "An Old-Fashioned Christmas" celebration.
More details on the Cypress Gardens website.
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9 November, 2006
The Macy's Holiday Parade will return this year to Universal Studios Florida.
Those wanting a "sneak peek" of the entertainment elements need only peruse the listings at the Universal Studios Entertainment Auditions website. Although the auditions are over, we really enjoyed reading the descriptions and qualifications:
High Kick Dancer
Performers with engaging personalities and high kicking ability. Must be able to learn and perform an extension dance combination and floor work. Bring character type heel or similar footwear to auditions. Requirements: Female dancers, 5'5" and taller.
Santa Claus
Look-a-likes to play the role of this Holiday icon. Must be enthusiastic, jovial and possess a jolly demeanor. Requirements: Male performer. Type out audition will apply.
Skip Stilt Walker
Energetic performers that are highly skilled in the art of stilt-walking and acrobatics. Requirements: Male/Female stilt walkers and acrobats. Must have previous experience and high level of skill. Weight restrictions apply.
Stilt Walker
Energetic performers for various outgoing stilt-walking roles. Requirements: Male/Female stilt walkers. Must have previous experience and high level of skill. Weight restrictions apply (190lb. weight limit; candidates will be weighed at the time of audition.)
Parade Talent
Enthusiastic performers who possess excellent movement ability and the ability to interact well with large crowds. Requirements: Male/Female performer.
For more details about Orlando Christmas events, including Theme Park New Year's Eve events, Orlando Shopping, a calendar of events, and Christmas at Disney, visit ChristmasInOrlando.com.
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Behind-The-Scenes, Best of Florida Christmas, Christmas, ChristmasInOrlando.com, Gaylord Palms |
9 November, 2006
Gaylord Palms Resort has added many new experiences to their overnight holiday package this year. For instance, a guest receives priority entry to ICE! and ICE! Skating, as well as the ability to visit the attractions multiples times during a stay.
Another package addition that is likely to be very popular is the "Family Memories Event." At this new activity, guests can build their own gingerbread house with the help of the Gaylord Palms pastry chefs. A really neat idea, and certainly well named… this is the stuff family memories are made of!
We were invited to visit during a "run through" of the event, with children from La Petite Academy Kids Station. What a fun event! Here are a few pictures:
Based on the reaction of the children (and parents) present, I think we have a hit on our hands. For more information about the Best of Florida Christmas overnight packages, please visit the Gaylord Palms Website here.
For more details about Orlando Christmas events, including Theme Park New Year's Eve events, Orlando Shopping, a calendar of events, and Christmas at Disney, visit ChristmasInOrlando.com.
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6 November, 2006
Grande Masque is Orlando's only black-tie charity event for New Year's Eve. The annual affair supports the Orlando Ballet, Orlando Opera and Orlando Philharmonic. Attended by the "who's who" of Orlando, Grande Masque is also a culinary event, featuring a stellar four-course meal prepared by the amazing Chef Earlest Bell and his team.
What is on this year's menu?
A Taste Grande Masque 2006
An Evening In Venice
Primo
Sautéed Scampi with Stone Ground Herb-Lemon Polenta and Juniper Wood Smoked Pancetta
~~~~~~~
Secondo
Manzo alla Griglia
Grilled Filet Mignon with Sage, Prosciutto di Parma, Fontina, and Refosco Sauce
Seasonal Vegetables, Osso Buco Ravioli
~~~~~~~
Formaggi Artigiani
Trio of Italian Artisan Cheeses with Aromatic Micro Greens
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Dolce
A Taste of Veneto:
Sweet Risotto with White Chocolate Mousse and Amarena Cherries
Torta di Cioccolato with Mango-Basil Gelato
Lavender Panna Cotta with Poached Mirabelle Plums
~~~~~~~
Freshly Brewed Regular Lavazza and Decaffeinated Italian French Roast Coffee
Select English Pickwick Teas
For more information, call 407-426-1700 or visit www.grandemasque.org.
For more details about Orlando Christmas events, including Theme Park New Year's Eve events, Orlando Shopping, a calendar of events, and Christmas at Disney, visit ChristmasInOrlando.com.
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Best of Florida Christmas, Christmas, Cool Stuff, Gnome Hunt, Orlando News |
4 November, 2006
Fans who have watched teams desperately searching for Travelocity gnomes on past seasons of the television series "The Amazing Race" can finally give it a try!
Gaylord Palms Resort has teamed with Travelocity to offer the Hidden Holiday Gnome Hunt, beginning Nov. 18. The new holiday activity will take participants throughout the resort’s 4.5-acre glass-covered atrium to search for 20 cleverly hidden statues of the Travelocity Roaming Gnome. One participant will win a 7-day 6-night Alaskan cruise for two, compliments of Travelocity.
The activity brings a holiday tradition to Florida from across the world. In many Scandinavian countries, it is believed that a holiday gnome lives hidden under your house. Around Christmas, he emerges carrying a sack full of presents over his shoulder.
Meanwhile, in the past few days, there has been much ado over at Travelocity in regard to the gnome. Apparently he has come up missing in their television commercials. Check out the latest here.
For more details about Orlando Christmas events, including Theme Park Christmas events, Orlando Shopping, a calendar of events, and Christmas at Disney, visit ChristmasInOrlando.com.
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Cool Stuff, ICE! at Gaylord Palms |
3 November, 2006
GAYLORD PALMS RESORT ANNOUNCES HOLIDAY PARTNERSHIP
WITH ARNOLD PALMER HOSPITAL FOR CHILDREN
Children Born at Hospital Will Receive Free ICE! Entry Nov. 18-24
BREAKING NEWS — Gaylord Palms Resort, the “headquarters hotel” for the Christmas season in Orlando, has announced a new holiday partnership with Arnold Palmer Medical Center Foundation to benefit Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children.
As part of the partnership, Gaylord will provide a donation to the foundation, as well as complimentary entry to ICE! for children previously born at the hospital. Specifically:
- Nov. 18-30: a 50-cent donation will be made for every ICE! ticket sold, with a minimum of $10,000.
- Nov. 18-24: any child previously born at Arnold Palmer Hospital will be admitted free into the ICE! attraction by showing an official Arnold Palmer Hospital birth certificate at the ICE! box office.
The partnership is part of the resort’s Best of Florida Christmas celebration, featuring live entertainment, unique attractions and holiday activities held to commemorate the Christmas season.
When the new Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies opened in Spring 2006, Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children expanded from the current 98-bed facility to a 158-bed facility dedicated exclusively to the needs of children.
The hospital will grow again in early 2007, with the opening of the 23,500-square-foot The Bert Martin’s Champions for Children Emergency Department & Trauma Center at Arnold Palmer Hospital. This construction project will cost $11 million and is almost entirely funded by philanthropic support. Gaylord’s donation will be specially earmarked toward this new trauma center.
“Christmas is all about children,” said Kemp Gallineau, Gaylord Palms Resort general manager. “So in choosing a charity partner, we chose one that would truly benefit the children of our community.”
To learn more about the Arnold Palmer Hospital birth certificate program, call (407) 586-4432.
For more details about Orlando Christmas events, including Theme Park Christmas events, Orlando Shopping, a calendar of events, and Christmas at Disney, visit ChristmasInOrlando.com.
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